What House Hold Cleaners do You Use?

See, individuals,
like pregnant moms, can make the decision to breathe better, to move
better, to eat better, and to birth better; each one of us can take
responsibility over ourselves and our family to remove household toxins
from our own homes and immediate environment—but we also need the
world to change. We need to inspire others to understand exactly
what is happening to the earth and all its creatures. Currently, almost one
out of every two people will get cancer.
I just read a report that more than one-quarter of the beluga whales found
at the mouth of the Great Lakes (St. Lawrence River)
had cancer. (updated statistic in yellow 2/24/2010) Rates of cancer are expected to be
one out of every one before the end of our lifetime. Is that what
we want for our children? Our world is becoming a toxic dumpsite.
As Dr. Greene affirms, “We are the environment; there is no separation.
If a chemical is ‘out there’ it may also be ‘in here,’ in the
most protected inner sanctum of our bodies.”

Big business and profits are the engines behind this terrible change, but they are not the ones to blame. The solution is actually rather simple
and uplifting.

Perhaps the greatest mechanism for change was taught to me by my beloved mentor Paul Chek, in his Personal Professional and Spiritual Mastery Course.
He told us to “Vote with Your Dollar!” I have employed that
message ever since. I could easily see the logic in paying extra
so that my family’s food is free from pesticides, but some things
seemed less important to my immediate health. That’s when the
astonishing power of my vote matters. If tomorrow, alone, no one
in the country purchased a chemical household cleaner or even one apple
that has been grown from pesticides, entire corporations would be brought
to their knees. The chemical manufacturers would lose so much
money that many would never recover.

Every vote for a natural alternative is a vote that puts cheap chemical alternatives out of business. People who currently work for these corporations
would immediately be forced to use their talents to develop green solutions.
Along with this change in workforce allocation would soon be larger
distribution and finally affordability for all. Before long, everyone
would be spraying their kitchens with natural products, we would be
employing wise farming practices that naturally repel insects, and our
children’s toys would never again be recalled for toxicity.
The power of the people would shine so bright that it would be remembered
as the greatest grass-roots movement ever to change the world…perhaps
to save the world, and our children.

All sweeping changes to the zeitgeist, or “spirit of the time,” begin by the few pioneers who are willing to give their time, money, and sometimes
their life to a cause. For the pioneers of freedom in America,
they were willing to give all three. Perhaps uniquely among zeitgeists,
however, it will not be those who spend their time and money who risk
their lives to make change; it will be those who don’t risk their
time and money.

Is it possible to be happy when you lie in bed feeling sick? Many of our loved ones around the world are trying to do that right now. But I don’t
want to feel that challenge. And I definitely don’t want my
child to face that challenge. No, I want to die in my sleep the
same evening I spend watching my great-grandkids play a soccer match.
I want my great grandchildren to face challenges on the field, at school,
in their career, and in love…not in the hospital, battling cancer
they contract from the womb.

As I write this, many of you can feel that the few have already become many. The trend is changing and is approaching a tipping point. I am
committed to be the one who does not have cancer. I am committed
to break the current trend that predicts that 100% will develop cancer.
I am committed to spend my time and my money on what philosophers throughout
history have called the only real happiness and the greatest of all
human blessings and liberties: health. I will vote with my dollar.

Household Cleaners and Detergents—Avoid nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) which are known endocrine disruptors. We currently use Dr. Charlie’s
Laundry Powder, Seventh Generation Free & Clear Automatic Dishwasher
Powder, and Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner, all of which
can be ordered on-line or may be picked up at a health food store.
Recently, we have been experimenting with combinations of vinegar, baking
soda, water, and essential oils, which is so simple to use if you reuse
your old spray container.

Dr. Green lists the following basic ingredients which can be used themselves or mixed together “for almost any household need:”

Baking soda-scouring powder in bathroom or for oven; use to unclog drains (follow with vinegar)

Castile Soap-cuts grease, great all-purpose cleaner

Club Soda-removes stains, put in spray bottle, great on windows

Cornstarch-cleans windows and picks up spills on carpets (especially good for cleaning juice, coffee, and wine)

We use baking soda and vinegar for cleaners. My hubby bought me the Seventh Generation spray cleaner recently, which comes in handy when I don't have a lot of time to whip out a paste-of-whatever it is I clean with.

We use virgin, unrefined, organic coconut oil and olive oils for moisturizers, homemade deodorant and homemade toothpaste! I use coconut ghee for most of my cooking...it's 75% organic, unrefined coconut oil and 25% clarified butter from grassfed cows :) yum!

I am a part of some other online groups for hypothyroidism and am learning a lot about iodine for healing. It is a great disinfectant also and can be used for cleaning and as an alternative to chlorine in your pool.

I use olive oil and a few drops of eucalyptus or lemon essential oil (peppermint and/or lavendar sometimes too) for furniture dusting.

I also use essential oils in my baking soda when wiping down counters too. Tea tree oil and lavendar are antiseptic and antifungal too.

Topically, these oils can be used in olive oil to treat a number of ailments. Olive oil works as a carrier oil which will carry the oils through the skin and into the body without burning the skin :)

wow what are your recipes for toothpaste and deodorant? i stopped wearing deodorant years ago when I cleansed my diet. Amazing no sink comes from under my arms when i eat all organic fruits vegetables and free range chicken, grass fed beef and little to no processed foods.

where do you buy your cocounut/clarified butter from? we used to use raw butter until we realized my son is dairy sensitive, even to raw. We use coconut oil and olive oil right now. Would love to try some of that yummy coconut oil/clarified butter mixture.

I use METHOD products...they are FABULOUS! chemical free, all natural ingredients and NOT tested on animals. My husband does clean our hardwood floors with Vinegar and water...on his hands and knees even!! Go him!!

no kidding! my husband is good with many things too, like preparing all the cleaning agents with vinegar, and peppermint oil (which has been great for unwanted ants in our kitchen), but the floors...well he has not made it that far yet!

Peppermint oil is good to keep mice out too!! I hate those lil things! Living on a farm around harvest time always sends them scrambling in out of the cold. Mice dont like pungent smells, so peppermint oil-filled cotton balls does the trick :)

These are some of the recipes I've tracked down. I use the all-purpose cleaner all the time, as well as the laundry detergent. I have a recipe for dish soap (for washing by hand) but it leaves a terrible filmy residue on the dishes. I would love a good recipe for that, as well as for toothpaste and deodorant, or anything else you ladies would like to share :)

Laundry Detergent:
* 1 bar of shaved bar soap
* 1/2 cup of borax
* 1/2 cup of washing soda
Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes and enjoy the results!
(**note** you only need to use 1 tablespoon of this homemade detergent per load, although you can use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads) Each batch is 16 ounces of powder and can wash 64 loads.

Creamy Soft Scrubber
½ cup baking soda
liquid detergent
Pour the baking soda into a bowl and add enough liquid detergent to give the mixture the texture of frosting. Scoop it onto a sponge to wash surfaces. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub, because it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit.

Window Cleaner
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Put all the ingredients in a spray bottle, shake it, and use as you would a commercial brand. The detergent in this recipe is important--it cuts the wax residue left by products you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner
1 cup or more baking soda
water
squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge and wash the remaining residue from the oven. Note: If this recipe doesn't work, you probably didn't use enough baking soda and/or water.

All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Vinegar Deodorizer
Keep clean spray bottles filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. I often apply the vinegar to my cutting board before going to bed and let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar goes away within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

Mold Killer 1: Tea Tree Treasure
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Nothing natural works as well as this spray for mold and mildew. I've used it successfully on a moldy ceiling and shower curtain, and a musty bureau and rug. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. It also has a very strong odor, but that dissipates in a few days. Combine tea tree oil and water in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and apply to problem areas. Do not rinse. Leave in the bottle-it has a long shelf life.

Mold Killer 2: Citrus Seed Extract
20 drops citrus seed extract
2 cups water
The advantage of using citrus seed extract instead of tea tree oil for killing mold is that it is odorless. Combine the citrus seed extract and water in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and apply to problem areas. Do not rinse. Leave in bottle-it also has a long shelf life.

Mold Killer 3: Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar into a spray bottle and apply to moldy areas. Let set without rinsing, if you can put up with the smell, which will subside in a few hours.